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The only countries where heavy handed social welfare works is in small European countries that have populations that are a quarter of the size of Texas. They also have strong borders and homogenious populations where people actually look to work as something to do rather than just a tolerable sufferance. They also have tight grips on things like healthcare, and they don't allow leeches to use emergency rooms unless they have life threatening injuries.
But where is the proof of that? These are just opinions not backed up by facts. The biggest country in Europe is Germany. It works just like Denmark which has a small fraction of the population of Germany.
The rest of your points is not backed up by facts either. Show us proof that America is so generous compared to the rest of the developed world. Show us proof that America is less corrupt than other developed countries because of its smaller public sector.
Another important point here is that many of these European socialist/capitalist experiments are largely successful because they don't spend a dime on defense. You know who is spending money protecting these countries? The United States. We spend trillions of dollars a year on defending the world and our allies so that they don't have to. Russia and China would be lining up to take a piece of their ass if it weren't for us. We pay the bills for their defense while they spend all of their money on social safety nets.
Imagine if we could take all the money we spend on our military and stick it back into our own infrastructure and social safety nets. We would be living better, that's for sure. But, unfortunately we get to pay bills for Europeans so they can retire at age 50, and our young men and women get to serve on the frontlines protecting their ****.
The Brits are getting tired of it, hence why Brexit is a thing. When will the United States start getting tired of it? Socialism is great until you run out of other peoples money.
These are just talking points with nothing to back it up with. Europe has a military budget that is 5 times the size of Russia's. We have a huge military budget not out of charity but because you vote for candidates that are heavily funded by the military industrial complex. Thats why our tax dollars go to $75 000 aluminium ladders for the military. The people you vote for want it that way.
The usa is no better.
Washington DC is a cess pit of corruption.
Indeed it is much better, but you seem to leave all context out of your thinking.
Sure we have corruption, but not on the scope/scale as other places. Plus despite our capitalist engine, we provide all sorts of safety nets for deserving people, and give generously around the world.
Frankly, other than natural disasters and key military areas around the globe, I'd like to see a lot of the foreign aid we provide to other countries be reduced to further help our own country.
Needless to say the poor in our country are not doing well by our own high standards, but they are the envy of the truly poor across this world.
Even Bono of U2 who use to deride capitalism has seen the length and say only America is capable to accomplishing great things due to our economic model.
So while we can rightly be critical of our own government, comparatively we should count our blessings compared with socialist/communist countries.
Begin by agreeing that I'm always right...I merely posted data that OECD took showing that Americans financial wealth per capita is 8 times more than Norwegians...you posted completely unrelated information that nevertheless showed that the US GDP per capita is higher than Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France, UK, Finland etc. and the only nations that are higher are teesy tinsy countries that are awash in oil money or banking countries like Qatar, Brunei, UAE, Luxembourgh , Swiss, and Norway.
The US may high in GDP per capita but it ranks lower for median per-capita income and very high in income inequality. Also, the headline GDP per capita masks how many hours the average US worker puts in on an annual basis. The people in these supposedly "poorer" nations like Germany, Denmark, etc. are getting 4 to 6 weeks paid vacations annually.
As I have stated, there are many good elements to the US system but just looking at the top line numbers is ignoring the things that the US does relatively poorly.
If you breakdown the GDP stats by hours worked, the US workers produce $31 per hour annually, while the German worker produces $34 per hour. US might work more and produce more, but Germans are more efficient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tall Traveler
Basically, I said Golden State won the NBA title and you said uh uh, the Patriots own the Super Bowl.
Actually, I think what you and I posted are more like an NCAA championships. The NBA Title or Super Bowl is more akin to looking at the Human Development Index (HDI).
The USA is 13th on that list:
1. Norway
2. Switzerland
3. Australia
4. Ireland
5. Germany
6. Iceland
7. Sweden & Hong Kong (tied)
9. Singapore
10. Netherlands
11. Denmark
12. Canada
13. USA
More to the point though. Corruption will be a problem anytime power is given to people, no matter what system of government you have. That's why it's important to make sure government can never overpower the will of the people, which was why our ancestors left England in the first place. They wanted government to be small and stay out of the way of democracy. The United States is still largely successful at that, even though it's far from perfect. Term limits need to happen, people were never meant to be career politicians.
You are way off base on your corruption argument. The US is nowhere in the Top 15 of "Least" corrupt countries in the world. And jolly old England (really the U.K.) is less corrupt than the US.
For the far left when a socialist country fails or struggles its corruption or interference from other countries. Anything but socialism itself being the issue.
When a capitalist country has issues (which is rare) the problem is capitalism itself.
I hate to say it but I'm sick and tired of corruption being used as an excuse for why a country is poor. It's the traditional - did the chicken or the egg come first - question. The poorer your country, the less it has to pay civic servants, the easier it's to corrupt these civic servants. I always say, it's not that Western Europe is less corrupt than (pick a poor country here) it's that the bribes needed are a lot higher.
So stop spreading the excrement around because anyone with any brains whatsoever has realized that the right wing talking point has zero to do with reality.
Remember Gran Columbia?
Many Venezuelans supported liberals..........
Many are still not to far removed from Chavismo.................. left wing,socialist, bolvarianism.
Venezuela is a socialist run country..............The United Socialist Party.
Many Venezuelans have left ( two million )
Many Columbians do not want Venezuelans back in their country...........ironic.
So stop spreading the excrement around because anyone with any brains whatsoever has realized that the right wing talking point has zero to do with reality. Trump, the lord of the flies and lies and standard bearer of the right is enough proof of how low the party has sunk and their disdain for truth.
A corrupt petrol state à la Russia style is the bottom line of Venezuela's troubles.
Yeah, but corruption is baseline everywhere in the world, so it's best not to support a government style that allows it to run rampant.
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